The present disclosure relates to pivotable wall mounted systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a wheel support for helicopter mounted weapon systems and a method for using the same.
Systems are often mounted across the span of an opening in a structure, and may be selectively rotatable away from the opening. For example, military helicopters frequently have machine guns or other weapon systems mounted within doorways or windows formed in the helicopter airframe to provide for defense of the aircraft from within. Because helicopter mounted weapon systems may be heavy and/or may generate large recoil forces when in use, these systems are typically secured to the helicopter airframe proximate the opening through which the weapon is aimed.
For example, some helicopter-mounted weapon systems utilize a mount which is secured to the airframe at each side or border of the opening through which it is aimed. In order to facilitate ingress and egress of helicopter occupants through these weapon-equipped openings, one side of the mount may be pivotably connected at one side of the helicopter airframe, while the other side of the mount will be removably connected to the airframe at the opposing side of the opening. When occupants are entering or exiting the aircraft, the weapon system and mount can be decoupled from the airframe at the removable mounting point and pivoted about the pivotable mounting point, thereby swinging the system either inboard or outboard so that the opening is no longer blocked by the system. Once the occupants have finished entering or exiting the aircraft, the mount may be pivoted back into a position in which the system spans, and partially blocks, the opening. The removable mounting point may be secured so that the weight of the pivotable system and mount are once again supported at both sides of the opening.
However, when the mount is decoupled from the removable mounting point, the weight of the weapon system is cantilevered away from the pivotable mounting point at the other side of the airframe. What is needed is a system and/or method to support this cantilevered weight while maintaining the pivotable function of the mounting system.